To date, Tesla has the largest charging network in the world, with over 25,000 charging stations located globally. Before the announcement, the charging station or “supercharger” locations were only available to Tesla customers but Tesla has decided to open its network to non-Tesla drivers. This in turn is designed to ensure consumers wishing to choose an electric car don’t have to only look at the electric car manufacturer with the biggest charging network.
Pilot scheme
To begin with, Tesla will be opening up its network with 10 locations in the Netherlands with the plan to further expand the scheme worldwide. This will give access to the other major global car manufacturers using the CCS (Combined Charging System) port. Such systems are currently used by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and the Volkswagen group.
Non-Tesla drivers
In order to be able to gain access to the Tesla supercharger network in the Netherlands as a non-Tesla driver, all you will need to do is download the Tesla app and create an account. All registered users will then be able to search for all the “non-Tesla” supercharger locations. The plan also involves charging an additional charge for all non-Tesla drivers to use the network.
Increase sales and growth
Tesla sold 241,391 Tesla cars in the third quarter of 2021, which in turn has raised their market share value to $1 trillion when the figures were announced. This rare achievement has made Tesla the fifth firm in history to reach this milestone. The others who have hit the $1 trillion mark are Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google-owner Alphabet.
Quashing of order rumours
Early in November 2021, it was announced by Hertz that a deal was made to purchase 100,000 Tesla electric cars, making it the biggest-ever rental car order of its kind for the purchase of electric vehicles solely for the rental car market. This announcement had driven the Tesla share price by 12.6% but the following week, Elon Musk tweeted, “I’d like to emphasize that no contract has been signed yet.”
Bizarrely, Hertz was quoted by the BBC as saying, “deliveries of the Teslas have already started.” A spokeswoman said: “As we announced last week, Hertz has made an initial order of 100,000 Tesla electric vehicles and is investing in new EV (electric vehicle) charging infrastructure across the company’s global operations.”
Tesla and Hertz now refuse to confirm or deny whether or not a contract has actually been agreed and signed.
Great news for prospective customers in the UK
The news from Tesla will be the first step in opening up a network of superchargers in the UK too, and the combination of the other major electric car manufacturers using the CCS port will further boost consumer confidence even more.
It’s been widely known that as it stands now, the sales of brand-new vehicles have slowed dramatically due to shortages of materials such as microchips, which have increased the demand in the used car market. The biggest demand has been for used cars under 5 years old.
Used car dealers such as Best Price Car Sales who are based in Southampton are one of the front runners in acquiring quality used hybrid and electric used cars and meeting the demand in the ever-increasing used car marketplace.
If you are one of the many car buyers looking to go electric in the near future, it will be reassuring to know there will be a very substantial charging network to accommodate every electric car user in the country with a CCS port fitted.
To learn more about our hybrid and electric used car offers and deals, call us now at 02382 549 222 or if you wish to apply for instant car financing and want to discuss trading in your old car, click here now.